


Alone with you

by LiteraryRose



Category: Riverdale - Fandom
Genre: Betty Cooper is lonely, F/M, Fluff, I swear the writers need to fix their game, I wrote this as a multi-chapter but oh well, Jason seems rather unfazed by everything, Jughead is the best, Mentions of self-harm, Polly Cooper is six feet under, Slow Burn, Talk of Suicide, bughead being cute, like rly slow burn, love u all plz enjoy, mentioned cheating (but not Bughead bc they would never), no smut bc I’m a holy child, not canon at all, the blue and gold
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24616105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiteraryRose/pseuds/LiteraryRose
Summary: I wrote this a long time ago and decided to post it even though it sucks. (ew first person pov)When Betty's sister dies in a devastating accident, she struggles with the loss of the only person she could really trust.But when a mysterious clue appears in Betty's home, she enlists the help of Jughead Jones, a boy from school to help her uncover the truth.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Alone with you

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wrote this as a multi-part doc but oh well.
> 
> Love u all!
> 
> Btw this isn’t beta’d and I wrote this a long time ago (ew first person POV) so don't judge my writing based on this.

I woke up to the soft sounds of the birds twittering outside my window. I sighed and sat up just as my mom knocked on my bedroom door. 

“Elizabeth? Are you awake? Polly is leaving in an hour go college and you need to say goodbye. She’s not coming back here until the weekend.”

To be honest, it wasn’t that big of a deal Polly was leaving for college. I guess I was kinda sad, but I’d see her again in a few days. Until then, FaceTime and texting would have to do.  
I dragged myself out of bed, got dressed, and headed downstairs. My mom and Polly were already eating breakfast when I entered the kitchen.

“I made waffles if you want one Betty.” Polly said.

I picked up a plate and helped myself. 

After breakfast it was time to say goodbye. Polly’s college was about an hour away, and she promised her boyfriend, Jason, that she would be there by 11. It was already 9:45. She needed to get going. Mom and I hugged Polly goodbye before she got in the car. I watched Polly’s car pull out of the driveway and down the street. 

Little did I know that would be the last time I ever saw her.

“Hi! Sorry I can’t talk right now, leave a message after the beep and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!”  
That was the third time I’d called Polly today and she hadn’t picked up. I get it. College is busy. I shouldn’t have expected her to pick up. She was probably out with friends doing whatever friends do. I wouldn’t know.  
I never understood the point of having friends. Why share all your personal information with someone who could use it against you at any point in time. My mom and Polly were the only people I needed in my life.  
I sighed and picked up my bag, ready to head to school. This would be my first time at high school without her. 

When I arrived at school, I headed to the office to grab my schedule before heading to class. A few people waved at me and I smiled back. I knew the names of everyone here, even though I had never talked to most of them.  
I arrived at the office and picked up my schedule. I had biology first. Great. 

During lunch, I headed to the blue and gold room, the room dedicated to our school newspaper.  
I ran the school newspaper. Actually, I was the only one working on it this year. Polly helped me when she still went to school here, but now that she was gone, it was up to me. To be honest, I liked working by myself and didn’t want anyone else to join, even though writing a newspaper was a lot of work.  
I pulled my rose gold MacBook out of my bag and pulled up the document I’d been working on, ready for some quiet time alone. Just as I liked it.

“Elizabeth Cooper, please report to the office immediately. Elizabeth Cooper to the office immediately.”

I felt my anxiety take over.

Shaking, I gathered my things.  
A million thoughts were bouncing off the walls of my brain.  
I couldn’t think. What had I done wrong?  
I arrived at the office. The office coordinator pointed me to the principal’s office and I knocked on the door. I heard a voice say “come in”, so I opened the door and entered.  
There was a boy about my age- tall with dark hair and light olive skin sitting in one of the two chairs across from the principal, Mr. Weatherby. Mr. Weatherby motioned for me to sit, before pulling out a black folder with a few papers in it.  
“Elizabeth, this is Forsythe. Because you were the only person willing to run the blue and gold this year, when Forsythe mentioned his love for writing I knew he would be perfect. He is going to be working with you on the newspaper this year.” Stated Mr. Weatherby.  
“Oh. Okay.” I replied. At least I wasn’t in trouble.  
The thought of having to work with someone who wasn’t her sister though...  
“I’ll leave you two to get to know each other.” Said Mr. Weatherby.  
Forsythe and I nodded as he left the room.  
“Hey.” Forsythe started.  
“Um hi?” I replied. “Sorry. I’m not really a social person.”  
“Yeah. Anyways, Elizabeth,-“  
I cut him off “please just call me Betty.”  
“Okay, well then Betty, what would you like me to do for the blue and gold. I know you’ve prepared to run it yourself, so...”  
“No, it’s fine. I’ll share the document with you. What’s your email?”  
He seemed nice, but at the same time, I didn’t see why I needed his help. I would let him write because Weatherby told him to join, but it wasn’t necessary.  
Forsythe pulled me out of my thoughts when he handed me a slip of paper with his email on it.  
“Thanks.” I tucked the slip into my backpack and stood up. “I’ll see you tomorrow Forsythe.”  
“Please, call me Jughead.”  
I nodded and left the room.

Suddenly, my phone rang. The caller ID said mom, but my mom would never call me in school unless it was important. I answered and pushed the phone up to my ear.  
“I need you to come home right now, please.”

I hurried to my locker to grab my bag. I couldn’t think straight. I knew something was wrong. I wracked my brain for every possible scenario.  
I left the school without signing out. My mom could deal with that later.  
I followed the sidewalk until I reached home when it hit me.  
Polly.  
I rushed inside and hugged my mom. She pulled away before handing me her phone. I took one look at the screen and burst into tears. My beautiful sister was dead.  
She was killed in a car crash a few hours ago.  
There had been no chance of her survival due to the fact that the car had blown up. I scrolled through the message not wanting to believe it. Polly was gone.  
I climbed the stairs to my room and pulled out my Diary. I opened a new page and began to write. I didn’t even process what I was writing . I just wrote.  
Eventually I was too tired to continue and fell into bed, but I couldn’t sleep. Memories with Polly filled my head as I cried myself through to the morning.  
“Elizabeth, sweetie, I called the school. You’re excused for the rest of the week.”  
I nodded, unable to speak.  
My mom sat down on my bed and stroked my hair. I could tell she had been crying.  
“I have to go to work today, but I left some yogurt on the counter for you. Call me if you need anything.  
I nodded again and she stood up to get ready.  
“I’m so sorry, Elizabeth. I love you.”  
And she left.  
I closed my eyes and somehow fell asleep. 

I woke up to my mother stroking my hair. She pressed a kiss to my forehead as I opened my eyes.  
“You slept well.” She said.  
“Yeah. I guess.” I replied.  
“I have to go to work again. Will you be okay by yourself?”  
“Yeah.” I sat up.  
She smiled sadly and left my room, closing to door behind her.  
To take my mind off everything, I reached for my laptop and opened it. A slip of paper fell out. Jughead’s email. So I wouldn’t forget, I sent him an invite to the document before working on it myself.  
About an hour later, I got an email from Jughead. 

Hey, was wondering why you haven’t been at school. Wanna meet up? We need to discuss the newspaper. Text me @ 713-488-6531  
Jughead  
I read the email over a second time. No, I didn’t really want to meet up, but he was right. We were getting behind, and we needed to sort out who was going to do what.  
I sighed, pulling out my phone. I opened contacts and added his number. I typed a message to him and sent it.  
B: want to meet at pops?  
A few minutes later I heard my phone ding with a message. I opened it.  
J: sure. How about 5?  
B: I’ll be there.  
I replied. I had four hours before I had to leave. I took a shower, ate, did my makeup and got dressed.  
Only an hour left. I thought of calling my mom to tell her, but figured an old fashioned note on the counter would do the trick.  
Finally it was time to go. I grabbed my bag with my computer and headed out the door. 

I entered Pop’s and saw Jughead in a booth, so I walked over to join him. “Hey.”  
He looked up.  
“Hi.”  
I sat down across from him.  
“I was just finishing the main article on the bulldogs.”  
“Okay. I can edit it,” I replied, pulling out my MacBook.  
A few minutes into editing, Pop walked over to us to take our orders. I ordered a vanilla milkshake, while jughead ordered a chocolate one. We sat in silence for a bit, sipping our drinks, until Jughead opened his mouth to speak.  
“What’s wrong?” He asked.  
“Nothing.” I replied.  
“You can talk to me. I know we don’t know each other very well, but I don’t think either of us really have any friends, so maybe we could be friends?” He asked.  
I thought about it. He did seem nice, but I’d never had friends, and it would be weird to suddenly have a friend. Then again, my sister... I couldn’t hold back my tears, I ran to the washroom.  
After a few minutes, I got a text from Jughead  
J: you ok?  
B: I’ll be out in a minute.  
I responded, not wanting to tell him over text.  
I got myself together and splashed some cold water on my face to hopefully lessen the redness before heading out. I headed back over to the booth and sat down.  
“I’m sorry.” I said. “I’m going through some stuff right now, and I don’t really have anyone other than my mom, so yeah if it’s okay with you we can be friends.”  
“Great!”  
“There is just one thing though,” I started. “I’ve never been friends with anyone before.”  
He looked confused. “What do you mean?”  
“I mean I’ve never had any friends before.”  
“Why not?”  
“I don’t know, didn’t see the point, I guess.”  
Jughead looked shocked.

I felt the sun on my face as I opened my eyes. It was Monday, and I had to go back to school. I heard my mom call me for breakfast so I stood up to get ready for the day. I pulled on a pair of dark skinny jeans and a white blouse and headed downstairs.  
“Elizabeth, I have a meeting tonight so I’ll be home late. There is a pizza in the freezer for you to heat up. I’ll be home by 11.”  
“Okay, yeah, I’ll be fine.” I replied.  
My mom grabbed her purse and walked out the door.  
Polly’s death hadn’t hit her yet. She was still in denial. I checked my phone to see a text from Jughead.  
J: meet me @ the b&g in 30?  
B: I’ll b there  
J: see u then  
B: 👍🏻  
I picked up my bag and jacket and headed outside.  
I was used to walking to school alone. I could hear the birds singing in the cool morning air as I walked.  
I arrived at school and headed to the blue and gold. Jughead was already there, typing on his laptop as per usual. I took the chair next to him and pulled out my MacBook.  
“What are you writing?” I asked him.  
“A story.” He replied.  
“About what?” I questioned.  
“You’ll see.”  
I tried to look over, but he closed the document.  
“No peeking!”  
“Sorry.” I said half heartedly. “What are you doing tonight?” I asked, to change the subject.  
“I dunno, why?” He answered.  
“My mom has a meeting and won’t be home til late, so do you want to come over? She left a pizza to heat up, and I’m sure we have some other snacks and stuff.” I offered. I wasn’t sure if this is what you do with friends, but I’d try.  
“Is your mom okay with this?” Jughead asked. “Most parents would not be okay with their daughter having a boy over.”  
“My mom will be glad I finally made a friend.” I replied. “She won’t mind.”  
“Okay. What time should I come over?” He asked.  
“Five?” I suggested.  
“Sounds good.”  
The bell rang and we headed off to class.

I pulled the frozen pizza out of the box as I heard a knock on the door. I slipped the pizza into the oven and smoothed my hair. I was about to have a friend over for the first time.  
“Hey.” I opened the door.  
“Hi. It’s nice to see you. May I come in?”  
“Oh, yeah sorry.” I reply, feeling embarrassed. “I just put the pizza in the oven.”  
“Sounds good. I was thinking maybe we should get to know each other a bit better.” Jughead suggested.  
“Actually yeah. There’s something I need to tell you.”  
“Me too.” He says.  
I tell Jughead about my Polly and how my mom is still in denial. I feel my face hot with salty tears as his arm moves around my shoulder to hold me.  
“I’m sorry.” He says  
“It’s not your fault.” I reply.  
“I know, but that’s awful, and you shouldn’t have to go through that. Especially alone.”  
“That’s why I have you, isn’t it?” I feel a small smile cross my face.  
“Yeah.” He says, suppressing a laugh.  
I hear the oven beep and pull the pizza out, along with two cokes and a bag of kettle chips. 

We finish our second Netflix movie when I realize that Jughead never told me about whatever he had wanted to earlier. I turn to him and ask.  
“It doesn’t matter right now.” He answers.  
“Yes is does, Jug, please talk to me.  
He sighs. “My mom and little sister left when I was 8. I haven’t seen them since, but yesterday my dad told me that they’re coming to see us next month.”  
“That’s good, isn’t it?” I question.  
“It would be, yeah, but my mom isn’t a very good person and it wouldn’t be like my mom to just come visit us. She’s planning something. I know it.”  
“My dad left us when I was six.” I say. “He has a new family now. I’ve never met them.”  
“I’m sorry.” Jughead looks at me with sad eyes.  
“I’m sorry too.” I continue. “Sometimes I feel alone.”  
“I do too.” He tells me.  
We sit in comfortable silence for a moment, him staring into my green eyes, me staring into his blue ones.

A loud crash breaks the silence.

We stand up and tiptoe to the kitchen, where the noise came from. I motion for jughead to enter from the other side as I grab a can of pepper spray from my backpack in the front hall. I move toward the kitchen quietly and see Jughead doing the same. I reach the doorway and look around. Nothing. Jughead and I make eye contact as I notice a paper in my peripheral vision. I walk over to it and Jughead follows. It reads:  
Dearest Elizabeth,  
You haven’t forgotten me, have you? How is Alice? Is she holding up after Polly’s... accident? Just know that I’m watching you.  
-C  
“Who’s c?” Jughead asks.  
“I don’t know.” I say truthfully.  
I walk over to the back door.  
“It’s unlocked.” I say.  
“Well now we know how they got in.” He says  
I turn the lock on the door.  
“I understand if you want me to leave now.” Jughead says.  
I don’t want him to leave. If whoever dropped this letter off entered my house, what’s to say they won’t do it again. “Please stay?” I ask.  
“Sure.” He replies. “I wouldn’t feel safe here alone either. 

We watch another movie. It’s almost 11 when the I hear the key in the lock. I pick up the can of pepper spray just in case. The door opens and my mom walks in. I sigh and put down the pepper spray. My mom looks from me to Jughead.  
“Who’s this?” She asks.  
“Jughead.” I respond.  
“Hi, Ms.C.” Jughead says.  
“Hi.” My mom looks bewildered. “Are you and Elizabeth friends, or...?”  
“Yeah.” I say.  
“Wow. Elizabeth, I am very proud of you.” My mom says. “Jughead, you can call me Alice. Do you need a ride home?”  
“No, but thanks. My bike is outside.” He replies.”  
He gathers his things and we hug goodbye.  
“See you tomorrow Betty.” He says, before heading out.  
I smile back. 

“Elizabeth, What is this?” Mom yells from the kitchen.

I see mom with the letter. I had meant to put it away when Jughead left.  
I walked into the kitchen “oh, that’s nothing.” I said and reached out for it. She placed it in my hands.  
“You would let me know if something was going on, right?” She asks  
“Of course, mom” I reply.  
I climb the stairs and walk to my room to go to sleep. I send Jughead a quick goodnight text and shut my phone off.

My alarm clock buzzes and sit up. Another day of school. I check my phone for a message from Jughead.  
J: I’ll see u in the b+g right?  
B: For sure. She u then  
I get dressed and head downstairs. There is a plate with some bacon and eggs on it resting on the table. I help myself before heading out the door.

As soon as I reach school, I go to the blue and gold. Jughead is waiting there for me.  
“Hey.” He says.  
“Hey.” I reply.  
“I finished that article you asked me to do on the cheer team. I did go through and edit, but a second set of eyes wouldn’t hurt.” He says.  
I sit next to him and he hands me hit laptop. It’s identical to mine, but a deep shade of grey instead of rose gold. I run my fingers over the keys before looking through the document. Jughead watches me edit, a look of amazement in his eyes as I skim the document, making quick changes every minute or so. There weren’t many errors.  
“You did a good job of editing it yourself.” I start.  
“Thanks, but it looked to me like you were making a lot of changes.”  
“Only small things.” I say as the bell rings, signalling five minutes until first period starts. I say a quick goodbye before slipping out of the room. 

At lunch, I head to the blue and gold to finish my article. Jughead enters and sits next to me, the both of us working in silence, only the quiet click of a keyboard in the air. At the end of lunch, we head to our respective classes and wait for the day to be over.  
The end of the day comes, and I find Jughead outside. We walk to Pop’s in comfortable silence. We hadn’t actually planned to head to Pop’s, we just both understood to go, as if reading each others thoughts.

The bell dings as we walk through the door. 

Jughead and I sit down in a booth to wait for Pop to take our orders.  
“Hey kids, what can I get for you?” Pop says cheerfully.  
Jughead nods for me to go first.  
“I’ll have a vanilla milkshake and fries please.” I say.  
“Sure.” Pop says. “And for you, young man?”  
“I’ll have a chocolate milkshake and a burger.” Jughead replies.

Pop walks away and I look at Jughead. “A burger? It’s the middle of the afternoon!”  
“I’m always hungry, and I love Pop’s burgers.” He says.  
Pop brings our food and we begin to eat.  
“Did you tell your mom about the letter?” Jughead asks.  
“No.” I reply. “She found it so I told her it was nothing and it’s in my room now.”  
“Good. I have a feeling she’s go to the police with that, and we would end up in trouble or something.” Jughead says. “I’ve been thinking about who could have sent it. What’s your dad’s name?”  
“Hal. “ I reply. “I don’t think he would do something like that anyways. He’s proud of what he’s done and would have signed his name.” 

We continue to discuss, but come up with nothing. My mom texts me asking when I’m going to be home and I tell her soon. Jughead and I finish eating and pack up.  
“I’ll walk you home.” Jughead offers.  
“Isn’t that out if your way?” I ask.  
“Kinda, but I don’t mind.” He replies.  
“Thanks.” I say.  
We leave Pop’s and begin to walk in the direction of my house.  
“There’s a new movie that just came out, it’s called Rebels. I was wondering if you wanted to see it with me?” Jughead asks. I sense the caution in his tone as he asks, clearly nervous.  
“I’d love to.” I reply. “When?”  
“Tomorrow?” He asks.  
“Sure. I’ll meet you at the bijou at 8?” I reply.  
“Sounds good.” 

We reach my house.  
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” I say.  
“Yeah. Blue and gold.”  
He watches me until I’m inside, making sure I’m safe.  
I never thought I’d say this, but I’m glad to have him as a friend. He makes me feel safe, and he doesn’t pressure me with anything. I trust him, and it seems like he trusts me.  
I get ready for dinner, even though I’m not very hungry because I had Pops. We’re having squash soup. 

I head downstairs to greet my mom. 

I pull on jeans and a sweater, grab my coat off it’s hook and head downstairs to meet Jughead outside. Earlier in the blue and gold, we hadn’t really talked, just worked, so I’m glad we’re spending time together tonight.  
I spot Jughead and walk over to him. “That isn’t your motorcycle, is it?” I ask, looking at the motorcycle behind him.  
“Umm, yeah. It is. We can walk if you want.” He tells me.  
“No, I’ve just never been on a motorcycle before.” I say.  
We get on the motorcycle and he hands me a helmet.  
“You’re gonna have to hold on tight if you don’t want to fall off.” Jughead tells me.  
I wrap my arms around his waist. I can smell his hair. God does it smell  
good.  
We arrive at the bijou and get off the motorcycle. I hand Jughead the helmet and we walk inside. We get our tickets and some snacks, and enter the theatre to find our seats. Jughead walks to the front row and motions for me to sit. He takes the seat next to me and the lights begin to lower. I feel his eyes on me and I turn my head to meet his gaze. His deep blue eyes that I could get lost in, staring back at me.  
The commercials start, and we both turn back to the screen. I can feel a deep rose creeping over my cheeks.

After the movie, we throw out the garbage from the snacks and walk outside. I can see the moon and the stars reflect off the cool metal of Jughead’s bike. He helps me on and we begin the journey home. 

I see my house coming up and feel the bike slow. Jughead pulls to a stop, and we both get off.  
“I’ll walk you.” He says.  
We walk in silence toward my house, just enjoying each others company. We reach the door and I turn to him. “Thank you, Jug, I don’t really get out much, and this helped take my mind off my sister, even if just for a few hours.” And then it hits me. Whenever I’m with Jughead, my worries leave me and I feel free. “Anytime, Betts.”  
I smile at the nickname and pull him into a hug, drinking in his scent. We stay there for half a minute before I realize that my mom will be wondering where I am. I pull away and smile at him one last time before entering my home.

“How was the movie, Elizabeth?” My mom asks.  
“It was better than I was expecting.” I say, telling the truth.  
“I like that boy. What did you say his name was? Can head? Bucket?” Mom asks.  
“Jughead.” I reply, stifling my laugh.  
I walk up to my room and lie down in my bed, thinking about Jughead until I drift into sleep. 

It’s the weekend and time for Polly’s funeral. During the week, I’d managed to keep my mind off Polly, but now I had mascara permanently emblazoned onto my cheeks as I got out of the car and headed toward the funeral home with my arm around my sobbing mom. I could feel the cool fall air begin to dry my cheeks, but not before new tears moistened my raw skin again. I could feel every last spec of happiness leave my soul as we entered the building. Everything was deep wood, navy blue, or black and screamed death. It even smelled like death. 

I led myself and my mom to our seats, ready to begin the ceremony. My mom was too depressed to have gotten a speech ready, but Jughead helped me with mine. 

When it was my turn, I stood up at the pedestal and faced the audience with my cue cards in front of me. I could feel every inch of myself trembling with the sadness that had taken me over. I began to read, holding back sobs and tears for after. “Some people are meant to be sisters.” I started. “Polly was no exception. She was so good to me and everyone else she met. She deserves so much more than this. She deserves to graduate college, to find true love, to have a family. But what did she get? An unforgiving death by the explosion of her car. She had her whole life ahead of her.” I think of Jughead and how I wished he was here. He would have comforted me right now. But he couldn’t come. He wanted to, but he had to help his dad get ready for his sister and mom’s arrival in a couple weeks. 

I finished my speech and sat back down to listen to all the other people Polly had been close to. My heart felt like it was bleeding and I could barely see due to the abundance of tears in my eyes.  
I found a bathroom and sat down, crying until I couldn’t feel my face anymore. I found my mom and we drove home in silence.

When we got home I ran up to my room and into my bathroom. I pulled a razor blade out of the drawer under my sink and pulled it across the flesh of my wrists, barely able to feel anything. The tears from my eyes fell into the cuts, making them sting. I dug my nails into my palms and laid in the floor until I could breath again. 

My heart was pounding as I realized what I’d done. I’d cut myself. My mental health had never been perfect, but I had never resorted to cutting to take away the pain. I quickly bandaged myself up, threw out the blade, and wiped up the blood. 

I looked in the mirror at my red, puffy face and wiped it over with a washcloth, hoping for any relief of the swelling.  
I turned back into my room as my phone rang. I picked it up

“Hey Betts, how are you. How was the funeral? Do you want to talk about it?”

I try to keep my voice from cracking as I answer the call. “No, Jug, I’m fine thanks for checking in. I’ll see you soon.”  
I put my phone down and collapsed into tears. I couldn’t do this. I sat in a puddle of my own tears until I heard a knock in my window. I wiped the tears from my face before looking over.  
It was Jughead. I picked myself up off the floor and dragged my feet to the window, letting Jughead inside.  
He stepped in and immediately brought me into a tight hug. He walked me over to my bed, not letting go of me. We sat down and he removed his arms, allowing for a better position to talk. I sat there, not knowing what to say as he looked me over, stopping when he reached my wrists.  
“Do you want to talk about it?”  
I shook my head no before cuddling into him. He understood and I felt his arms envelope me once more. I felt safe here, in his arms.

We stayed like that for what felt like hours, until he pulled back and looked me straight in the eye.  
“Please talk to me.” Jughead pleaded.  
I pulled back my sleeves to reveal the full damage that had been done. Jughead looked at me with sad eyes before bringing his lips to my forehead and pressing them there.  
“I just feel so... alone.” I confess.  
“You have me.” He says. “And your mom”.  
I smile a little. “I know. My mom is still in denial though, so you’re really all I have. I understand now what I was missing when you were surprised I’d never had any friends.”  
“Do you still feel alone? Even with me?” Jughead asks.  
“It’s different with you.” I say truthfully. “I don’t feel alone, but I also do at the same time.”  
He stares into my eyes for a moment before speaking.  
“Then I guess it’s like we’re alone together?”  
I nod. “I feel safe with you.”  
He smiles before I continue. “I like being alone with you. It’s so much better than being alone by myself.”

And in that moment I think we both knew exactly what each other meant.  
I cuddled into his chest as he held me

I wake up to my phone dinging with a text from Jughead.  
J: Sorry I had to leave w out saying bye. See u at school  
B: For sure  
I text back and get up and ready for school. On my way out the door, I notice the mail nobody picked up off the ground the day before. I gather them up and set them on the kitchen counter before I notice one with my name on it. I stuff it in my bag for later, hoping I’m not already late.

I make my way to the blue and gold room at lunch, knowing that Jughead would be there. My gaze fixes on his concentrated expression as I walk in. My eyes don’t leave him until I remember the letter stuffed in my bag. I pull it out and rip the top open. It’s a standard white envelope, with “Betty Cooper” written in sharpie on the back. I pull the paper out and unfold it. It reads:  
Dear Miss Cooper,  
I thoroughly enjoyed Polly’s service on the weekend. You must really miss her. Just like the missing coolant fluid in her car that day.  
-C  
“Jughead? Can you come here and look at this for a sec?” I ask him, pulling his eyes from his laptop’s screen.  
“Sure.” He replies. I hand him the letter and he looks it over for a moment. “What is this?”  
“A letter I got this morning.” I respond.  
Jughead clears off the bulletin board behind him and racks up the letter. “Murder board.” He states. “For Polly.”  
I nod.  
He continues. “I’m not saying someone necessarily wanted her dead, but it sure seems like it from this letter.”  
“Can we investigate it together? I love a good mystery.” I say.  
Jughead’s mouth twists into a smile as he nods. “You think I would do this without you?” He asks.  
“Honestly, no.” I answer.  
“Good. We’re partners in crime... or I guess justice in this case.” He says and we both start to laugh.  
It’s the first time since Polly’s death that I can say I’m genuinely laughing. And it feels amazing.

I pull a pad of sticky notes and a sharpie from my bag and we begin our list of suspects. 

I don’t actually know many people whose name begins with C. There’s Cheryl, but she isn’t smart enough to know how to tamper with a car and not get caught. That only leaves Chuck and Chic, two of Polly’s exes. It makes sense that one of them would have done it, Polly had cheated on Chuck with Chic, and had dumped Chic the second she met Jason. While neither motive was strong, both boys were known to be violent, so they were still on the table.  
“Any new leads?” I ask Jughead. We’ve been looking through people’s social media feeds for any info on where they had been the day of Polly’s death.  
Polly had been in the car the evening before the “accident” so they knew whoever tampered with it must have done it during the night.  
Jughead had also somehow set up a meeting with a member of the crew that had cleaned up the debris from the explosion.  
“No, sorry.” Jughead replies.  
I look over at the screen of his laptop to see The shared document with all of their information.  
“I did find something you might find interesting though.” Jughead adds, pulling up Instagram.  
The archived story (I still don’t know how he finds this stuff) shows Polly getting into her at a gas station not far from where the explosion happened. You can see a long scrape along the side of the car, from the headlight to the driver’s door.  
“Was this there before?” Jughead asks.  
“I don’t think so. Polly always took good care of her stuff, and mom would have had a conniption fit over that scrape.” I reply.  
Jughead saves the image to his computer and sighs.  
“Tired?” I ask.  
“Yeah.” He answers.  
“Do you want to go to Pops for a bit?” I question. “Maybe grab a milkshake?”  
Jughead smiles as we put our laptops in our bags and head to pops.

I head the door jingle as we enter and I smile at Jughead. He returns my smile with a smirk and we head to a booth. I order a vanilla shake, while he orders a chocolate one, and we sit in comfortable silence until they arrive.

It’s been a week since we noticed the scrape on Polly’s car, and we haven’t found anything else. Today Jughead and I have a meeting with a member of the clean up crew after school.

“Hey.” Jughead says as he hands me a milkshake.  
We said we’d meet at pops, but I arrived a few minutes early to get some writing done. I put away my MacBook and Jughead slides into the booth beside me.  
The door jingles and I look up. A gruff looking man with a brown leather jacket in his mid fifties walks in. He spots Jughead and walks over to us.  
“I’m Jerry.” He states before taking a seat across from Jughead and I. I pull out a notepad and pen and look to Jughead.  
“Thank you for meeting with us.” Jughead says. “The car explosion you cleaned up recently, what did you notice about it.”  
“Uh, well, it was just like any other accident for the most part.” Jerry starts. “There was one thing that I found strange though.”  
I look over to Jughead and I can see his eyebrow raised. “What did you see?” I question.  
“There was a bullet found in the wreckage. I don’t think the car was shot at though.” Jerry offers.  
“Is there any chance that we could see the bullet?” Jughead asks.  
“Yeah, sure.” Jerry pulls a plastic bag out of his pocket. “The authorities said it was probably there from before and that it meant nothing. You kids can keep it if you want.” He hands us the bag and I tuck it into my backpack.  
“Was there anything else you noticed?” Jughead asks.  
“No.” Jerry replies. “Sorry kids, but I’ve got to go. You can call me if you have any other questions though.”  
“Thanks.” Jughead says.  
Jerry gets up and walks out of the diner.  
“We should head to my house to look at the bullet.” I say. “If people saw us looking at a bullet...”  
“Yeah.” Jughead agrees.  
We pick up our stuff and Jughead opens his wallet to pay.  
“No, Jug, I’ve got it. It was my shake.”  
He looks up, skeptically, before. I place a five on the table. We walk out of the diner and down the sidewalk. It’s a good eight blocks to my house, and it’s a little cool out. I pause for a moment to do up the buttons on my coat. I look over at Jughead. His brow is furrowed, indicating the depth of his thinking. His blue eyes are darkened in concentration as we begin to walk again.  
“What’s on your mind?” I ask.

“Everything.” Jughead responds.  
“What do you mean?” I question further.  
“All this stuff about the car explosion, and we know next to nothing.” Jughead states.  
“I agree.” I reply. “I feel like we’ve found out nothing.”  
We walk in a comfortable silence as cars fly past us, wind whipping at my hair.  
It’s nice, being with him like this. I turn my head and find myself staring into his eyes before we both realize what happened and look away. I feel my cheeks flush and can see his turning a similar shade in my peripheral vision.  
We reach my house and I open the door. I can smell the chilli cooking for dinner and drink in the scent. It’s comforting to come home to something like this, even after everything.  
“Oh! Elizabeth. You’re home.” I can hear my mom from the kitchen.  
“Yeah.” I reply. “Jughead and I have some homework to catch up on.”  
“Would you like to stay for supper, Jughead?” My mom asks, entering the front hall.  
Jughead looks at me to make sure it’s okay before accepting. “Sure. Thanks Ms. Cooper.”  
“Call me Alice. Food’ll be ready in a half hour or so. I’ll call you down.”

Jughead looks to me before I lead him upstairs. I open my backpack as we sit on the ground, and pull out the plastic bag. I carefully open the bag and pull out the bullet. It feels cool on my palm as Jughead looks at it closely. He picks the bullet up out of my palm.  
“There’s no gunpowder in this.” He says. He runs his fingers over the item, feeling for any signs something was off. His nail catches on a slight ridge near the base of the bullet and I can see him pull at it. The bulletin comes apart, and a slip of paper falls out.

Jughead reaches for the slip of paper and unfolds it. His eyes squint at the paper before handing it to me. It’s a photo. Of Polly. Making out with some guy I’ve never seen before.  
“Who’s the guy?” I ask Jughead.  
“No clue.” He responds.  
I turn the paper over and read the penned message.  
Cheaters must pay.  
“Do you think Jason wrote this?” Jughead asks me.  
“I don’t know.” I answer. “Maybe.”  
I open Instagram and send Jason a DM asking to meet up to talk about Polly. I show Jugehad the DMs and put my phone down.  
“ELIZABETH, SUPPER!”  
I hear my mom shout. I quickly move the bullet and paper into my backpack and pull Jughead with me downstairs.  
We make somewhat awkward small talk until the end of supper.

After supper, Jughead and I head back up to my room to investigate a bit more. As soon as we reach my room, Jughead’s phone buzzes loudly. He pulls it out and reads the message.  
“Sorry. Betty, I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you at school.”  
I walk him downstairs and say goodbye while he Thanks me and my mother for supper.

I wake up to the soft twitters of the birds outside my window.  
I get up out of bed and take the four steps over to my dresser. I open the drawers, looking for something to wear. I pull out a green and pink striped sweater. Would Jughead like it? Hmm. I pull out a light pink shirt that flatters my waist. Perfect. Jughead will like it.  
Why do I care if jughead will like it? He’s my friend and won’t judge me. I try to push those thoughts out of my head as I pull on a pair of dark wash skinnies and some socks.  
I pack my bag and make my way downstairs, noticing the fruit my mom had left out for my breakfast.  
I eat quickly and am out the door in a matter of minutes.

Lunch comes quickly and I head to the blue and gold to meet Jughead. He’s sitting at the table on his laptop when I walk in.  
“Hey.” I say.  
He looks up before answering. “Hey.”  
I pull out my laptop and click on the shared document with next week’s paper on it. I quickly go through and edit the paragraph he finished this morning.  
We sit in a comfortable silence, only the gentle sound of keyboard clicks disrupting the quiet.

“Is it okay if Jughead takes notes while we talk?” I ask Jason.  
We’re sitting at a table in a small cafe in New York to talk to Jason about the picture we found.  
“Yeah, that’s fine.” Jason’s responded.  
“Okay,” I begin. “Was anything strange going on with Polly?”  
“I don’t think so.” Jason responds.  
“Was your relationship okay?” I ask. “I’m not trying to pry, sorry.” I add.  
“No, it’s okay.” Jason starts. “Polly was acting a little distant, but I chalked it down to stress because of collage. Why?”  
Jughead pulled the photo out of his pocket and slid it across the table for Jason to see. “We think she was cheating on you.”  
Jason squinted and looked more closely at the image. “Polly would never...”  
“Unless that photo is from before you guys got together, I think she would.” Jughead says.  
Jason flipped the paper in his hands. “Cheaters must pay?”  
“Yeah.” I say. “I guess whoever tampered with Polly’s car knew about whatever was going on.”  
“Someone tampered with her car?” Jason asked.  
“We think so. It’s possible the engine coolant was removed and that’s why her car blew up.” I hear Jughead say.

After the conversation with Jason, Jughead and I order coffees and discuss our theories and thoughts about everything until the shop closes. Jughead and I head outside and get onto his motorcycle to make the hour journey back to Riverdale.  
“Jug, can we maybe stop at pops or something? I don’t really want to go home yet.” I say.  
“Do you want to go to my place? I know we always go to yours, but...”  
“Sure.” I reply.

The traffic is minimal and by 11:30, we make it past the “Town with pep” sign signalling our arrival to Riverdale. Not much later we pull into Sunny side trailer park where I assume Jughead lives.  
We pull up to a homey looking white trailer near the edge of the park.  
“It’s not much,” Jughead starts. “But it’s home.”  
We stepped off the bike and he holds the door open for me as we make our way inside.  
I could see from the furniture that the home was well lived in and loved, unlike my own magazine modelled house.  
Jughead moved a stack of magazines off the couch and motioned for me to sit down. I sat down next to Jughead when I heard a door open.  
“JUGHEAD, BOY, IS THAT YOU?”

A man who looked to be in his mid forties stumbled into the living room of the trailer.  
“Uhh, yeah, dad. It’s me.” Jughead said, confirming my suspicion that this man was Jughead’s dad.  
“Dad, this is Betty.” Jughead started. “Betty, my dad.” Jughead gestured to the man in front of them.  
“Hi, Mr. Jones.” I stood to shake his hand.  
“Dad, I thought you were working tonight.” Jughead said.  
“The site’s closed for inspection until next week.” Jughead’s dad replied. “Apparently it’s standard procedure.”

The three of us talked for a few more minutes until my mom texted, asking where I was. I noticed Jughead watching me carefully as I texted back that I was on my way.  
“Thanks, Jughead, Mr. Jones, but I should be heading home. It was nice to meet you.” I said.  
“And you, Betty.” Mr. Jones smiles. “Jug, you should walk her home. I’ll see you later.”  
Mr. Jones left the room, leaving myself and Jughead alone.  
“I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have invited you over if I knew my dad was home.” Jughead said apologetically. “Don’t apologize, Jug. I liked meeting him.” I replied.  
I picked up my purse from the coffee table as we headed outside.  
“Can I ask why you didn’t want to go home right away?” Jughead questioned.  
“I don’t really know why.” I answered. “I guess because at home, everything is so focused on Polly, and I needed a break.”  
Jughead nodded, understanding. “I feel like that sometimes too. Not about Polly, of course, but just everything else.” He said.

When we reached my house, I turned to look into Jughead’s deep blue eyes. We held eye contact for a few seconds until he pulled me into a comforting hug.  
“I’ll see you at school.” He promised.  
I smiled at him before entering my house.

The bell above the door jingles as I walk into pops. I spot Jughead in our usual booth and head over.  
“Hey Jug.” I say.  
“Hey.” He replies.  
He motions for me to sit down, so I slide into the booth across from him.  
“Did you bring everything?” Jughead questions.  
“Yeah.” I say and pull out the original letter, second letter, and the photo from inside the bullet.  
“The handwriting is definitely the same.” Jughead says, pointing to the signature on the two letters.  
He takes pictures of all three with his phone before he hands them back to me to put them away in my bag.  
“How are you?” Jughead asks.  
I barely notice, deep in thought.  
“Betts?” He repeats.  
“Huh?” I pull myself back to reality.  
“How are you? You know, with Polly and everything.” He says sympathetically.  
“I’m okay. I haven’t tried to hurt myself again.” I answer.  
“Good. I’m always here to talk.” He says.  
“How are you?” I ask Jughead.  
“Not bad.” He replies. “My mom and sister are coming this weekend.”  
“Oh.” I say, unsure of the right thing to say to comfort him.

After our conversation at pops, I head home while Jughead decided to pay a visit to the library to check if the book he wanted on solving mysteries had come in yet. He said it might help with our case, so there was no reason not to get it out. 

By the time I made it home, my mom had already eaten, and was lying on the couch with a movie on. I slipped inside quietly, trying not to pull her focus, and took the stairs up to my room. I sat down on my bed and pulled out my MacBook to check my emails. My inbox was mostly empty except for a few emails from mayor McCoy, and a spam email from Clifford Blossom prompting the Blossom’s maple syrup. I clear my inbox and open the document about Polly’s case that Jughead shared with me to add Clifford’s name to the list of people with “C” names and any relation to Polly. 

I sat down on the pull out sofa Jughead would be sharing with his sister and sighed. Jughead pulled his eyes away from the pile of dishes he was washing and we locked gazes for a moment before he walked over to me.  
Jughead’s mom and sister were to arrive in less than an hour and I had been helping Jughead get ready for them. Jughead’s mom and sister were originally going to stay in a rented apartment, but had decided last minute that “family bonding” was more important.  
Jughead sat down next to me and reached for my hands, to hold them in his.  
“What’s on your mind?” He asked.  
“I’m just thinking about what you said, about your mom. Could she have had anything to do with what happened to Polly?” I pondered out loud.  
“I don’t really think so. I mean, how would she even know Polly?” He said  
“I guess.” I replied.

A knock on the door of the trailer shifted our attention from the case.  
Jughead got up slowly and moved to look through the window before opening the door.  
“Hey, dad.” I heard him say. “You don’t have to knock, you know.” Jughead added as his dad made his way inside.  
“I didn’t want to interrupt you two.” FP stated.  
I stifled a giggle. “Jughead and I are just friends, mr. Jones.” I said. When I said that though, it felt like I was disappointing myself. I couldn’t put my finger on the reason, so I just shrugged it off.  
“Sure kids.” FP said.

After a few minutes of slightly awkward silence, my phone rang with a call from an unknown number. I put the call on speaker and set my phone on the coffee table motioning for Jughead to be silent.  
“Hello, is this Betty Cooper?” A voice asked.  
“Yes it is.” I replied.  
“Meet me at the drive in on Monday night at 8. I have some information you might want to know on Polly.”  
“Okay.” I replied. “Do I know you?”  
“Not really.” The voice answered. “I was supposed to be Polly’s roommate before she chose to room with Jason. My name is Lotta.”  
“I’ll see you then.” I said before the line went dead.  
“Well Jug, I hope you didn’t have anything scheduled for Monday night.” I said playfully.  
“Not til now.” He responded.  
A rap in the door and a high pitched squeal coming from outside averted Jughead’s attention.  
“They’re here.” He stated.

Jughead moved to answer the door as I straightened myself to look slightly more presentable. I figured I should probably aim to make a good impression on the mother and sister of my only friend.  
I heard the door open and someone walk in.  
“Jughead, son, it’s good to see you.” A woman said.  
“Uh, yeah. You too mom.” Jughead replied.  
A girl who looked to be about 11 or 12 followed the woman into the trailer. I stood up from where I was sitting to go meet Jughead’s family.  
“And who is this?” Jughead’s mom asked.  
“This is Betty.” Jughead answered.  
I stuck out my hand for a handshake, only for Jughead’s mom to ignore it.  
“Betty, this is my mom and my sister Jellybean.” Jughead introduced.  
“Please, call me Gladys.” Jughead’s mom said.  
Jellybean turned to pick up a duffle bag from the floor behind her.  
“Where should I put this?” She asked.

Once Jughead’s family had settled, he and I headed to Pop’s to pick up his family’s dinner and then walk me home. The evening was peaceful, and neither myself nor Jughead felt the need to talk until a few minutes into the trip.  
“Any ideas as to what your mom could be doing in town yet?” I asked.  
“Not really.” He replied. “I asked a few of the serpents to keeps tabs on her though. They said they’d alert me if anything seemed fishy.”  
“Was that a good idea, Jug?” I questioned. “Talking to the serpents? I mean, they are dangerous.”  
“They would never hurt either of us. I’m a serpent by blood because of my father. That means they can’t hurt me or anyone else I’ve told them not to hurt. I told them not to hurt you.” He assured me.

When we reached Pop’s, there were a few people in booths, but the line was short and the food was ready fairly quickly.  
Once the food was packed in paper bags and paid for, we headed away from the diner and towards my house. The sky was nearly dark, and a light mist flooded the cool air.  
“Thanks for walking me home.” I said.  
“No problem.” Jughead replied. “I like spending time with you.”  
My heart did a little flip as he said that.  
“I like spending time with you too.”  
I said softly.

When we reached my house, we hugged goodbye before I pressed a short kiss to his cheek. I felt my face flush and looked away as he wished me a goodnight. I turned and smiled at him before heading inside.  
My mom was working late, so I pulled up Netflix and popped a bag of popcorn to entertain myself until I fell asleep dreaming of a certain dark-haired boy.

I woke up to my phone beeping fro my bedside table. I sighed and blinked the sleep out of my eyes before checking the notification.  
J: meet me in the b+g I found something  
I texted back immediately.  
B: Omw see u in 15

When I arrived at the blue and gold room, Jughead was already there waiting for me.  
“What did you find?” I questioned.  
“My mom was running a sort of gang back in Toledo where she and Jelly live.” He answered. “The gang was called the Toledo serpents.”  
Jughead pulled up a photo on his phone and showed it to me. It was a picture of what looked like a chemistry lab.  
“The gang was shut down a few months ago after several members were arrested for drug making and dealing. My mom was obviously not found guilty, but as the gang’s leader, it’s possible someone took the blame for her.”  
I didn’t know what to say.  
“She could be selling drugs here in Riverdale. Or at least planning to.” Jughead added.  
The bell rang and we headed to class.

“I found something.” I said.  
It was after school and Jughead and I were at my house to continue our pursuit over a certain mystery.  
“What?” Jughead asked.  
“This article says that the Toledo serpents were originally the Southside Serpents, and that they were originally in Riverdale.” I replied.  
Jughead turned to look over my shoulder at the news article I’d found.  
“That’s certainly news.” He said finally. “She could be trying to start the gang again.”

After another half hour of unsuccessful research, Jughead had to head home for dinner. We hugged goodbye before I climbed the steps back up to my room.  
I found myself think about Jughead more and more every day. Even when I wasn’t thinking about him directly, his image was still sitting in my subconsciousness waiting for an opportune moment to pop in and take over my thoughts before I had a chance to stop it. I had never felt this way about someone before. Then again, I’d never had any friends before either.  
I decided that the warm flutters in my chest were a byproduct of friendship and pushed the thoughts from my mind.

It was the weekend. Finally.  
Jughead and I hadn’t found any more info on either of our cases, so we were spending the day binging Netflix shows while my mom was out of town. Maybe not the most exciting Saturday, but fun and comforting.

It was a little past 10am when Jughead arrived with a bag of snacks, candy, and soda. Soon afterwards, the TV was on, and Stranger things was playing.  
“That girl, Barb, she looks familiar.” Jughead stated.  
“Yeah. She looks almost exactly like Ethel Muggs from the AV club.” I replied.  
“Figures.” Jughead said.

After a few more episodes had run their course, I found myself sitting a lot closer to Jughead than I originally had been. That was normal for friends... right?  
I heard Jughead’s stomach grumble.  
“Even after all those snacks you’re still hungry?” I questioned giggling.  
“Apparently.” He replied.  
“I’ll order a pizza.” I said before grabbing my phone off the coffee table. I proceeded to order a large pepperoni pizza (Jughead and I had both agreed that cheese pizza is a waste of time).  
We finished the episode before the door rang with the pizza.  
“I’ll get it.” I said before answering the door.  
The man handed me the warm pizza box and I handed him the money. Then the strangest thing happened. He winked at me. I stood at the door, confused, until Jughead pulled me out of my thoughts.  
“Gonna close the door?”  
“Oh! Yeah.” I replied, closing the door.  
“What? Was the pizza guy really hot or something?” Jughead asked.  
“No.” I replied.  
“Then what happened?”  
“He winked at me.” I explained.  
“Oh.” Jughead’s voice was slightly strained as he said it.  
“What does it mean?” I asked.  
“He thought you were attractive.” Jughead answered.  
“Oh.” I said. “He certainly wasn’t attractive.”  
That earned me a chuckle from Jughead.

It was almost 7:30pm when I got a call from my mom.  
“Hey mom, what’s up?” I answered the phone.  
Jughead paused the tv and headed to the kitchen for (I’m assuming) a snack refill and to give me some privacy.  
“A couple co-workers and I are going out for drinks and I’m gonna crash at a friends’ house. Will you be okay tonight?” My mom asked.  
“Yeah I’ll be fine.” I replied. “When should I expect you home tomorrow?”  
“Around lunch or just before.” She answered.  
We said goodbye and hung up just as Jughead re-entered the room.  
“What did your mom want?” He asked.  
“She’s staying out tonight.” I replied.  
We put the movie back on and finished another bag of Lays all dressed.

At six past nine Jughead stood up and began to collect his things.  
“What are you doing?” I asked.  
“I should probably head home. It’s getting late.” He answered.  
I pouted.  
“Can you stay?” I asked.  
“Would your mom approve?” He said.  
“I’m going to be all alone, Jug.” I gave him my best puppy eyes until he gave in.  
“Okay. You win.” He said. “I’m just going to call my dad and let him know.”

“We can sleep in the same bed, silly.” I said, noticing Jughead’s skeptical face.  
“Uhh...” he started.  
It took a few minutes, but eventually Jughead was in bed, holding me to his chest. I could feel his warm breath against my neck. I felt safe like this, wrapped in his strong arms. Not that Jughead was ripped or anything. He just made me feel comfortable. At ease. At home.

At some point I must have drifted off to a peaceful and happy sleep.

I woke up to a pair of warm arms holding me and my head on someone’s chest. Jughead. I could feel his chest rising and falling with each slow breath. The sound was calming. I could get used to this.  
I felt a hand reach up to stroke my hair.  
“Hey.” Jughead almost whispered. “Is this Okay?”  
“Yeah.” I replied softly.  
We lay there for a few more minutes before I turned my head to look at the time. It read 9:37.  
“My mom will be home in a few hours.” I sighed.  
We sat up and moved to make our way downstairs.

After breakfast Jughead and I set to work on our murder board for Polly. We spent hours printing articles, images, and clues to tack up along with several lengths of red yarn.  
“It looks good.” I stated once we’d finished.  
“It does.” Jughead agreed.

After a few minutes of admiring our work, I heard the click of the door signalling the return of my mother.  
“Elizabeth? Are you home?” She yelled from the foyer.  
“Up here mom!” I yelled back.  
“I’m just going to make some lunch.” She called up.  
“Okay.” I replied.  
My mind turned to Jughead. My mom didn’t know he was here.  
As if he could read my exact thoughts, Jughead piped up. “I should probably head home.”  
“Yeah.” I agreed.  
Then I remembered the ladder outside my window from when I had cleaned it last week. I had been called in for supper and had forgotten to put it away. I motioned for Jughead to follow me to the window, where I showed him the ladder. He nodded and gave me a quick hug before making his way out the window and down the ladder.

I watched him walk down the street towards the south side until he turned the corner. I could feel a smile creep over my face as my mom called me for lunch. It was salad. Again.

Jughead and I had met at the blue and gold earlier to discuss our options for further investigation of our two cases. Jughead had been keeping an eye on his mom, though had so far found nothing. I had kept my eyes open for any intel on Polly, but had also found nothing.  
The two of us were walking down the hallway when an idea hit me.  
“Jughead.” I said.  
“Betty.” He replied with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.  
“We should talk to the Blossoms.” I stated. “They never approved of Jason and Polly dating. They might know something.”  
Jughead agreed, so as soon as I got home I sent an email to Clifford Blossom asking to meet up for a word. I just hoped he would respond.

It was mid afternoon on Saturday when Jughead and I met with Clifford and Penelope Blossom about my sister. Jughead’s mom had volunteered to drive us, saying she needed to get a few groceries in town anyways. 

The Blossom’s mansion had always held an air of mystery, but today it looked especially creepy. There was a slight dusting of fog in the air, and the sun was hidden behind thick layers of clouds.  
When Jughead and I rung the doorbell, we were immediately ushered inside by one of the maids. We were lead to what looked like the third sitting room we’d passed, and told Penelope and Clifford would be right with us.  
After a few minutes of waiting in silence, Penelope and Clifford entered the room and took their seats across from us.  
“Hello! Mr. and Mrs. Blossom! Thanks for meeting with us.” I began.  
“Oh it’s no problem.” Penelope replied. “What can we do for you two?”  
“Well, I’m sure you’ve heard about what happened to Polly?” I asked.  
“Yes. Quite tragic.” Clifford responded.  
“We just wondered if you had any information that could help us. See, we have reason to believe that the ‘accident’ wasn’t really an accident.”  
“No, sorry kids. We don’t know anything about that. If we did we would have gone to the police.” Clifford said.  
“Okay, well, thanks anyways.” I said. “Jughead and I should probably get going.” I said.  
“Yes, thanks for your time.” Jughead added.  
Penelope pointed us in the direction of the front door, as Jughead and I turned to leave.  
“Say hi to Gladys for us, will you?” Clifford said as we walked out the elaborately carved wooden doors of the Blossom mansion.  
“Uh, yeah sure.” Jughead answered.

“Well that was strange.” I said once Jughead and I made it to Pops.  
“Quite.” He replied. “How do they know my mom?”  
“That is slightly suspicious.” I agreed.  
“I’ll ask her when I get home and text you what she says.” Jughead said.  
“Okay.” I replied.

Jughead’s text regarding his mother had come a few minutes before Betty planned to head to sleep.  
J: My mom said she and Clifford were close in high school.  
B: case closed?  
J: I’ll keep an eye out but it seems like it.

We met the next morning at Pops, feeling defeated at the lack of progress on anything.  
We talked about everything and nothing and all that lies in between. It was a nice distraction from the world.

“You didn’t have to walk me home.”  
“I wanted to.” Jughead replied sweetly.  
“Well thank you. We should do this more often. Us talking about completely irrelevant things to all the harsh nightmares we live in.” I said.  
Jughead nodded softly in agreement before we finished our stroll in comfortable silence.  
It was easy, being with him. As if nothing mattered but him and me. It was nice.

When we reached the steps to my house, I turned to hug him, but before I could put my arms around him to pull him close, he cupped my cheek and tilted my face up at his. I could feel his warm breath on my lips as he leaned in slowly. I found myself melting into his touch until our lips met.  
It was soft. Gentle. Sweet. We fit in a way I couldn’t quite comprehend.  
It wasn’t what I expected kissing would be like (not that I’d imagined it very many times). Every book I’d read pegged kissing as this huge, explosive, fire- sparking gesture.  
I decided almost immediately that I liked sweet and sensual as apposed to fireworks on my skin.

I didn’t truly process what had happened until after Jughead had seen me up to the door and waved goodbye.  
Jughead kissed me. Like actually put our lips together and kissed me. I pinched myself before bringing my fingers to my lips and feeling where he’d placed his own lips only minutes before.

I then decided that I wanted to kiss him again. Hopefully tomorrow, if all goes well.

I made my way up to my room, noting the boxes piled outside Polly’s room. A reminder that at this time tomorrow, her room would be empty, everything with sentimental value packed into boxes on its way to the nearest goodwill.  
I pushed the thoughts out of my head, willing myself to fall asleep to the thought of Jughead pressing his lips to mine.

“Elizabeth! We only have a few hours until the truck will be here to take away your sister’s things!” My mom yelled from upstairs.  
I finished my celery (the only snack my mom deemed ‘reasonable’), and made my way up to Polly’s room. 

After a good half hour of packing, my mom’s phone rang, calling her into work.  
“I’ll be home in a few hours, make sure Polly’s things are ready to go for when the truck comes.” She’d said.  
Shortly after, I’d called Jughead to help, who assured me he’d be right over. My chest was heavy with anxiety about what’d happened the night before. Did he regret kissing me? Did he like it? Was I a good kisser?  
I pushed the thoughts out of my mind and focused my energy on going through the piles of stuff in Polly’s old room.

Polly’s stuff was scheduled to be picked up at 5:30pm, and at precisely 3:06pm, Jughead showed up at the door to my house. I let him in and offered him a drink before leading him up to Polly’s room.  
We sat in awkward silence for a few long minutes before he spoke up.  
“Can we talk about last night?”  
“What about it?” I asked, playing dumb.  
“The kiss.” He stated.  
I pondered what to say before my thoughts were interrupted by his voice.  
“Did you enjoy it?” He asked.  
“Yes.” I responded quietly.  
Jughead smiled lightly. “Good, because I like you.” He confessed, a hint of nervousness evident in his being.  
“I like you too.” I found myself saying. I expected to be surprised by the words coming out of my mouth, but I wasn’t. I did like him. A lot. Definitely more than friends.  
Jughead leaned in to press a gentle kiss to my lips. I kissed back gently, unsure if what I was doing was right. We continued the gentle push and pull of our mouths for a few minutes before the crash of a box that had been stacked rather precariously brought me back to reality.  
“We should really finish packing these boxes.” I said, slightly disappointed in the end of the moment. Jughead nodded in agreement and moved to pick up the last few items not yet packed.

A good half hour later, almost everything had been packed. Only the bottom drawer of Polly’s desk remained untouched. I pulled the handle and was surprised at what I saw. A sheet of lined paper, full of words along with a pair of cutter pliers and an empty pill bottle we’re all that filled the drawer.  
I picked up the pill bottle and read the description; prednisone it read.  
I then gently moved the pliers and felt over the words etched into the smooth paper. I pulled the paper from the drawer and began to read.

I felt a strong arm around my shoulders as I passed the letter over for Jughead to read.  
Polly’s neat scrawl emblazoned into my brain.  
“I’m sorry, Betty.” Jughead whispered into my hair.  
He pulled me into his lap and held me until I could sit up again.  
I saw Jughead’s gaze flicker over the letter once again, probably to let the words upon the page sink in.

Dear Mom and Betty,  
By the time you’ve found this letter, I will be gone. Go to the side of the road where my car will have exploded. There should be a bullet with a photo inside of it. Play it off like evidence that I cheated. That way it’ll be easier for Jason to come to terms with my death. Clifford blossom is trying to kill me, so I figured I’d make it easier. Clifford May try to make it look like my death wasn’t an accident. I’m not really sure.  
I want to die. I’m not happy. Please let me be and know that is was neither of your faults.  
I love you both,  
Polly 

After a good 10 minutes of Jughead holding me, we had to get up to send Polly’s things to Goodwill. Jughead and I moved the boxes onto the front lawn where the truck would pick them up.  
Once we were back inside, Jughead ordered some food and put a movie on. We were both taking in the new information.

Once my mom got home, Jughead and I showed her the letter, pliers, and pill bottle, then called the police.  
They figured that Polly had tried to OD on medication but hadn’t succeeded, and that the pliers were to cut the coolant lines in the car.

As for the cryptic notes we received, Clifford blossom confessed to sending those shortly before he was found dead in his own home.

It would be a difficult journey to settle into the new normal, but I had Jughead with me. We could do this together. Alone together. 

A year later-

Jughead and I have been together for just over a year. At first, my mom didn’t approve, but after seeing Jughead help me through therapy sessions and the aftermath of what happened to Polly, she changed her opinion of him.  
I also made some other friends. I met Veronica at therapy. She was there for all the terrible things her father did. Her boyfriend Archie also became a good friend of mine, and now people call myself, Jughead, Archie and Veronica the ‘core four’.

Things get better every day, but there isn’t a moment I don’t miss my sister. Luckily Jughead has been there for me through everything.

A few weeks after we found out the truth about Polly’s death, Jughead’s mom and sister went back to Toledo. It was a touch surprising to see nothing bad come if their visit, but it was also good for Jughead and his dad, who travel up to Toledo twice a year to go visit.

Things have been nice with Jughead and I. We’ve been taking things slow, but we’re both happy and very much in love.  
It still amazes me that in all the terrible things that have happened, Jughead and I have stuck together and been there for each other. It honestly seems too good to be true (even though I know it isn’t). 

To be alone is to be by yourself  
But what if you find your other half  
Two halves make a whole  
A whole is one  
And one is by yourself  
Therefore,  
Two halves can be alone together  
And my other half is you

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading y’all!
> 
> Love, Madeline


End file.
